Every NFC team's best player from each draft round
With the 2025 NFL Draft around the corner, we look into every team's best player from each draft round. For the purpose of this exercise, only active players rostered by the franchises that selected them are eligible. Next up is the NFC.
AFC | NFC
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ARI | ATL | CAR | CHI | DAL | DET | GB | LAR | MIN | NO | NYG | PHI | SF | SEA | TB | WAS
Arizona Cardinals
1st: Kyler Murray, QB
2nd: Budda Baker, S
3rd: Garrett Williams, CB
4th: Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, S
5th: Owen Pappoe, LB
6th: Dante Stills, DL
7th: Jaden Davis, DB
Arizona's group is headlined by Murray, Baker, and Williams. Another Cardinals starter, 2019 fifth-round safety Jalen Thompson, would've made the list if he weren't a supplemental draft pick.
Atlanta Falcons
1st: Jake Matthews, LT
2nd: Matthew Bergeron, G
3rd: Zach Harrison, DL
4th: Clark Phillips, CB
5th: Tyler Allgeier, RB
6th: Casey Washington, WR
7th: DeMarcco Hellams, S
Matthews is one of eight Falcons first-rounders, and the 2014 No. 6 pick owns the NFL's longest active streak of consecutive starts with 178. Atlanta's other current Round 1 players are linemen Kaleb McGary and Chris Lindstrom, corner A.J. Terrell, tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London, running back Bijan Robinson, and quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Carolina Panthers
1st: Jaycee Horn, CB
2nd: Taylor Moton, OT
3rd: Brady Christensen, OL
4th: Chuba Hubbard, RB
5th: Chau Smith-Wade, DB
6th: Cade Mays, OL
7th: N/A
The Panthers' 2021 class provided three names on this list in Horn, Christensen, and Hubbard. The first-round choice came down to Horn and Bryce Young, the latter of whom improved last year but hasn't come close to living up to the hype as the 2023 first overall pick.
Chicago Bears
1st: Caleb Williams, QB
2nd: Jaylon Johnson, CB
3rd: Zacch Pickens, DL
4th: Tory Taylor, P
5th: Braxton Jones, OT
6th: Doug Kramer Jr., OL
7th: Elijah Hicks, S
One may argue it's too early to go with 2024 No. 1 pick Williams here, but Chicago's other first-round options - receiver Rome Odunze and tackle Darnell Wright - aren't established starters, either.
Dallas Cowboys
1st: Micah Parsons, LB
2nd: Trevon Diggs, CB
3rd: Osa Odighizuwa, DT
4th: Dak Prescott, QB
5th: DaRon Bland, CB
6th: Donovan Wilson, S
7th: Jalen Brooks, WR
The difficult decision here is the Cowboys' first-rounder, which includes Parsons and All-Pro wideout CeeDee Lamb. As hard as it is not to pick Lamb, it's even harder to argue against Parsons, who's claimed two first-team All-Pro nods in four seasons.
Detroit Lions
1st: Penei Sewell, RT
2nd: Sam LaPorta, TE
3rd: Kerby Joseph, S
4th: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR
5th: Colby Sorsdal, OL
6th: Malcolm Rodriguez, LB
7th: Antoine Green, WR
There's a reason the Lions are a juggernaut: They nailed their drafts. Among eligible first-rounders left out are Aidan Hutchinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Frank Ragnow. Round 2 was also a close battle between LaPorta and Brian Branch, both from the '23 class.
Green Bay Packers
1st: Jordan Love, QB
2nd: Elgton Jenkins, OL
3rd: Tucker Kraft, TE
4th: Zach Tom, OT
5th: Dontayvion Wicks, WR
6th: Isaiah McDuffie, LB
7th: Rasheed Walker, OL
This is a solid haul. Love emerged from a group featuring eight first-rounders drafted by the Packers. It's also notable that Green Bay built the foundation of its strong offensive line by getting big draft steals in Jenkins, Tom, and Walker.
Los Angeles Rams
1st: Jared Verse, LB
2nd: Braden Fiske, DL
3rd: Kobie Turner, DL
4th: Tyler Higbee, TE
5th: Puka Nacua, WR
6th: Quentin Lake, DB
7th: Ethan Evans, P
It doesn't matter that Verse is the Rams' only first-rounder still on the roster - the Defensive Rookie of the Year probably would've had a spot here regardless. Fiske isn't L.A.'s only second-rounder, but the DROY finalist posted a standout 2024 season of his own.
Minnesota Vikings
1st: Justin Jefferson, WR
2nd: Brian O'Neill, OT
3rd: Mekhi Blackmon, CB
4th: Jay Ward, DB
5th: Ty Chandler, RB
6th: Josh Metellus, DB
7th: Levi Drake Rodriguez, DL
The Vikings' group isn't as impressive as you'd expect given how complete their roster is. That's partially because quality first-rounders such as Christian Darrisaw, Jordan Addison, and Harrison Smith were left out for Jefferson.
New Orleans Saints
1st: Chris Olave, WR
2nd: Erik McCoy, C
3rd: Alvin Kamara, RB
4th: Nick Saldiveri, OL
5th: Jordan Howden, DB
6th: Landon Young, OL
7th: Josiah Ezirim, OT
Cameron Jordan has recorded 121.5 sacks with the Saints, but the 2011 first-rounder is past his prime. Olave, meanwhile, has averaged 83 catches, 1,118 yards, and four touchdowns per 17 games played in the NFL.
New York Giants
1st: Dexter Lawrence, DT
2nd: Wan'Dale Robinson, WR
3rd: Cordale Flott, CB
4th: Theo Johnson, TE
5th: Darius Slayton, WR
6th: Darius Muasau, LB
7th: Jordon Riley, DT
Malik Nabers put on a show as a rookie, but the first-round spot belongs to Lawrence. The 2019 top-20 pick earned three Pro Bowl and two second-team All-Pro nods in the last three seasons.
Philadelphia Eagles
1st: Jalen Carter, DL
2nd: Jalen Hurts, QB
3rd: Nakobe Dean, LB
4th: Kelee Ringo, CB
5th: Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB
6th: Grant Calcaterra, TE
7th: Jordan Mailata, LT
This Eagles' haul is strong from top to bottom. Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson was a first-round option, but Carter has been on another level since being drafted ninth overall in 2023. Mailata was a seventh-round no-brainer as one of football's premier left tackles.
San Francisco 49ers
1st: Nick Bosa, DE
2nd: Renardo Green, CB
3rd: Fred Warner, LB
4th: Malik Mustapha, S
5th: George Kittle, TE
6th: Dee Winters, LB
7th: Brock Purdy, QB
The 49ers have a good mix of veteran and young players. Bosa, Warner, and Kittle have each been in the league for seven-plus years, while Green, Mustapha, Winters, and Purdy were selected in the last three drafts.
Seattle Seahawks
1st: Devon Witherspoon, CB
2nd: Kenneth Walker, RB
3rd: Abraham Lucas, OT
4th: Coby Bryant, CB
5th: Riq Woolen, CB
6th: Sataoa Laumea, OL
7th: Dareke Young, WR
Picking between Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba as Seattle's first-rounder was difficult. Smith-Njigba just posted a 100-1,130-6 receiving season, but Witherspoon has been a game-changer since making his debut. They were drafted in '23, but it's actually the Seahawks' 2022 draftees that steal the show with five on our list (Walker, Lucas, Bryant, Woolen, and Young).
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1st: Mike Evans, WR
2nd: Antoine Winfield Jr., S
3rd: Chris Godwin, WR
4th: Bucky Irving, RB
5th: Zyon McCollum, CB
6th: Trey Palmer, WR
7th: Devin Culp, TE
A notable omission here is Lavonte David, who's made 198 appearances with the Bucs. The longtime linebacker can still play but hasn't been as good as Winfield, who's earned a Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod in five seasons.
Washington Commanders
1st: Jayden Daniels, QB
2nd: Sam Cosmi, OL
3rd: Terry McLaurin, WR
4th: Percy Butler, S
5th: Jordan Magee, LB
6th: Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB
7th: Chris Paul, OL
Washington's group doesn't include many superstars but is headlined by Daniels, who was arguably the most impressive rookie in NFL history last year. Thanks to the sensational QB, the Commanders could become a perennial playoff team.